Mackay police address no ‘easy fix’ for rampant local youth crime

Hardcore youth crime is in the spotlight for Mackay police with experts warning the underlying cause of youth justice must be addressed to fix the problem.

Mackay’s most serious youth crime offenders are at the forefront of police focus as the new Youth Crime Taskforce gets under way.

The horrific consequences of youth crime in the region was thrown into the spotlight after the tragic fatal crash of a 13-year-old Bowen teenager earlier this month.

Assistant Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon said 10 per cent of youth offenders were responsible for nearly half of youth crime in Queensland.

This averages out to be fewer than 350 young people. Mackay has an identified cohort of about 10 to 15 offenders at any given time.

Commissioner Scanlon said the key to the program’s success was interconnectivity between agencies and the ability of police to act rapidly.

She said police needed to target the “ringleaders” who “gather other young people”, and respond to that offending quickly.

Mackay Superintendent Glenn Morris said this was a smaller cohort of offenders in the region compared to other districts and that allowed police to work more closely with youth.

He said there had been a 5 per cent drop in youths’ unlawful use of motor vehicles offences in the past financial year.

Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs senior executive director Michael Drane said youth crime could be fixed by taking a dynamic and connected approach between police and other agencies.

Programs such as the Co-Responder model and Project Booyah were examples Mackay police have used to prevent and disrupt potential youth crime.

“The evidence tells us unequivocally we need to address the underlying causes in these young peoples’ behaviour,” Mr Drane said.

“Things like stable home environments, drug and alcohol issues, re-engagement with education and obviously connecting young with range of programs all help to keep kids on the straight and narrow.

“There’s no quick fix.”